Brits love nicknaming their cars ‘Prince William’ and ‘Lady Gaga’

London: Britons give their cars nicknames after celebrities ranging from Prince William to Lady Gaga along with Rooney, Beckham and Angelina among others.

These names were the six out of ten that drivers confessed to having given their cars, in a survey by the NCP.

While traditional names like Betty, Bertie and Bob made up the top three, 24 per cent of those surveyed admitted they had named their cars after celebrities.

Comedian Alan Carr and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s names also appeared as car names and some even admitted to calling their car Kate Middleton.

Among the top choices was also ‘Boris’, after London mayor Boris Johnson who is responsible for traffic and bicycles in the city.

In the study of 3,000 drivers aged 17 to 45, 43 per cent said they thought it was ‘perfectly normal’ to have a pet name for a vehicle. Three-quarters said they were most likely to name their first car.

However, one in five said they are too embarrassed to admit to others that they have named their car – and the same number said those who do so are ‘sad’.

“Our research highlights how creative us Brits are when it comes to naming our cars,” the Daily Mail quoted NCP chief executive officer Jo Cooper as saying.

“Historically, sailors would always name their ships and pilots often named their planes, so it follows that many people name their cars too,” he said.